Lourdes

Lourdes 2017

Wow! What a fantastic half term we have all had in Lourdes, supporting and caring for our ‘supported pilgrims’. It started with a ‘yes’… Yes to going to Lourdes; yes to helping and caring for others; yes to spending a week with Mary, walking in the footsteps of St Bernadette. So….. 12 students, 3 members of staff and one ex-Sacred Heart student all set off for Lourdes on Friday 26th May via coach to south west France. We shared the coach with St Peters Secondary South Bank and St Patricks Secondary, Thornaby. This coach journey allowed students to make new friends straight away.

We had the pleasure of the company of Fr Damian the assistant priest at St Andrew’s, who led morning and evening prayers on the coach.

This year was my second time to Lourdes, my first time as group leader. What a great experience this was for me. To get to know the students individually and support them with their spiritual journey. For me, Lourdes is a unique place; it is one of the most incredible places I have visited. I got to experience God’s love in so many ways, especially through the work of other young people.

The theme for this year’s 64th Middlesbrough Diocesan Pilgrimage was “The Almighty has done great things for me” which is taken from a prayer called The Magnificat. This prayer is the first thing that Mary says after meeting her cousin Elizabeth and sharing in her joy of being a mother too. It’s remarkable that Mary, who was herself a young person, recognizes that God has done great things for her. Even though she, like all of us, would have been able to point to all of the good things in her life and thank God for them, she must have been very anxious once the Angel Gabriel had appeared to her. But she still say yes to God’s plan for her and gave thanks to God even though what she was asked to do was difficult and even a little bit frightening.

Just as Mary said “Yes” to being the Mother of Jesus despite her difficult circumstances, the 12 students also said Yes! Yes to trusting that God will do great things for them.

A central part of our Lourdes Pilgrimage is the celebration of Mass which happens every day. This allows us to meet Jesus, be strengthened by listening to God’s word and nourished by receiving the Eucharist, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My personal highlight of the week was our International Mass, which took place in the underground Basilica. Meeting all the other Dioceses from around the world; everyone coming together as one family, God’s family.

As well as celebrating Mass daily, the Torch Light Procession is another highlight of mine. The Torch Light Procession takes places every night at 9pm. As the sun is setting thousands of Pilgrims from all over the world gather to a follow the Statue of the Virgin Mary and meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary, with a single candle in their hand. The Rosary is prayed in many different languages. At the end of a decade of the rosary we all join together by singing…

Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.

The message of Lourdes is a simple one. It is the same message that we can find in the pages of the Gospel. It brings no new teaching, no startling revelations or magical promises, but simply calls us once more back to the basics of the good news of Jesus. It can be summed up in four simple ideas:

Poverty, Prayer, Penance and Participation

The jigsaw of Lourdes is incomplete without each of these four pieces, and when we put them all together we find the heart of the message and the source of its inspiration: the Gospel. The message of Lourdes is to return to the word of God.

Lourdes is a unique holiday, a holiday which you will never ever forget.

Lourdes is also a working holiday, but very rewarding.

Throughout the week, the MYMission team set students various challenges to carry out. You can see some of these photographs on the screens around school and in our image gallery.

Taking selfies with a priest or even the Bishop

Lighting a candle

Have a sing along on the coach

Refrain from asking the question, “are we nearly there yet?”

This year in Lourdes the students received a Lourdes journal to fill in everyday as a record of their time and experiences in Lourdes. This is some of their responses to the questions:

Quick Links

Latest Tweets

Today is Ash Wednesday, today is also the first day of Lent. Lent is a time for reflection, a time for pray, a time for fasting and a time for doing extra. Lent is a great way to rediscover Jesus. “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Read more 09:07 AM - 14th February, 2018

Today is Ash Wednesday, today is also the first day of Lent. Lent is a time for reflection, a time for pray, a time for fasting and a time for doing extra. Lent is a great way to rediscover Jesus. “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Read more 09:07 AM - 14th February, 2018

Many thanks to @BistroPierre for welcoming Madame Norminton's Y11 students to the Middlebrough restaurant on Saturday.
Delicious and authentic French food, great atmosphere and friendly service!' Merci 04:08 PM - 11th February, 2018

We have some Body Shop products up for grabs, worth £30. To enter our lucky numbers game all you need to do is pick a number, each square costs £2. The money raised will be going towards Lourdes 2018. Then just pop along to reception with your £2 and choose your lucky number. Read more 09:00 PM - 7th February, 2018

We have some Body Shop products up for grabs, worth £30. To enter our lucky numbers game all you need to do is pick a number, each square costs £2. The money raised will be going towards Lourdes 2018. Then just pop along to reception with your £2 and choose your lucky number. Read more 09:00 PM - 7th February, 2018